Shelf follower and end support



Nov. 24, 1931. c. B. ULRICH V SHELF FOLLOWER AND END SUPPORT Filed April 17. 1929 Patented Nov. 24, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CHARLES IB. ULRICH, OF JAMESTOWN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR .TO ART METAL CON- STRUCTION COMPANY, OF JAMESTOVN, NEW YORK SHELF roLLowEB. nn END sorronm Application filed April 17,

This invention relates to followers or end supports of the kind commonly employed on shelves to support an end of a'stack of articles of different kinds, such as papers, files, etc.,

in upright positions.

It has heretofore been customary to employ a follower comprising, for example, a sheet of metal bent into right angled or L- shape, on one leg of which books and other,

articles stand, while the other leg extends upright to engage the last article to hold the same and other adjacent articles in upright position. When such supports are used in connection with loose papers, files, pamphlets or similar articles which of themselves cannot stand upright, it frequently happens that such articles exert sufiicient pressure upon the upright leg of the support to cause the support to slide in an endwise direction on 2 the shelf relatively to and away from the end of the stack and thus let the articles fall into horizontal positions.

The objects of this invention are to construct a support of this kind in which the horizontal leg is provided with a friction pad of suitable form to engage a shelf or base, and to so form thisleg and its connected pad that the entire available bottom surface of the friction pad is utilized in resisting the sliding of the support on a base particularly in a direction away from the supported objects;

also to improve the construction of devices of this kind in other respects hereinafter specified.

In the accompanying drawings Fig. 1 is an edge view of an end support embodyingthis invention showing the same employed for supporting an end of a row of articles;

Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view thereof;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view thereof Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional elevation thelreof on line 4L4 of Fig. 2, on an enlarged sca e.

A represents a base or supporting plane of any suitable kind on which rows of articles are to be supported in upright positions. This base may be a shelf, t le top orother supporting surface. B in Fig. 1 represents 50 the articles to be supported which may, for

1929. Serial No. 855,686.

example, be individual papers, cards or groups, or files of papers.

The follower or end support shown inthe drawings and embodying one form of my invention includes a horizontal leg 8 and an'upright leg 9, the two legs in the construction port. The end support may be made of other 1 material than metal and may be of other form than that shown.

The horizontal leg of the support is provided on the bottom face thereof and adjacent to the upright leg, with. a pad 12 of rubber or other suitable material which is of a length to extend from one side edge of the support to the other and which is of sufficient width to offer considerable resistance to slipping when contacting with the base A. The pad may be secured to the base in any suitable or desired manner, for example, by gluing or cementing the upper surface of the pad to the lower surface of the leg 8, and rivets. 14

employed if desired. The pad may, however,

be of anv other shape or form, a

In order to render the pad 12 capable of offering the maximum resistance to slipping on the surface A, I have provided means for of thee'dge 17 of the leg will lie in the same plane as the bottom surface of the'pad 12. This forms the horizontal leg into a horizontal portion 18 to which the pad is secured and an inclined portion 19 extending from the bend 16 to the'edge 17 of the horizontal leg. Consequently when the articles are supported on the leg 8, the lower surface of the pad 12 will engage the base. and when this lower surface is serrated or ridged trans- .75 extending through the pad and leg 8, maybe versely as shown, all of the ridges of the pad will engage the base, so that the 1nax1- mum resistance to slipping Wlll be offered by the pad.

If the lower leg of the support were straight or lay in one plane, only the edge of the pad nearest to the edge 17 of the leg 8 would engage the base A, so that much less resistance to slipping would be offered by the end support, particularly if the articles are in inclined positions as shown in Fig. 1.

The construction shown also has the advantage that the leg 8 because of the bend 16 therein, forms practically acontinuation of the upper surface of the base A, so that it is easy to insert this leg underneath the articles to be supported. The construction described also results in the leg 9 extending truly perpendicular to the base A, which ma 2 terially improves the appearance of the device, and which would not be the case if the legs 8 were flat.

I claim: 1. In an end support for a stack of upright sheets or articles, the combination of an upright leg, a horizontal leg extending from the lower edge thereof, a rubber pad secured to the lower face of said horizontal leg and having transverse serrations upon its bottom face engageable with a horizontal supporting plane, and said horizontal leg having a downwardly inclined end portion which is engageable with said supporting plane,

whereby said end support may be inserted 36 beneath the end of said stack of sheets or articles and will be prevented from slipping on said plane by said serrations of said pad.

2. In an end support for a stack of upright sheets or articles, the combination of an up- 40 right leg, a horizontal leg extending from the lower edge thereof, a relatively transverse friction pad secured to the lower face of said horizontal leg adjacent the connection between the latter and said upright leg and which pad is engageable with a horizontal supporting plane, and said horizontal leg being bent adjacent to and parallel with a transverse edge of said pad to provide a relatively wide inclined end portion which extends downwardly to an extent equal to the height of said pad, whereby the free edge of said end portion is engageable with said supporting plane at a substantial distance from said pad so as to enable said pad to rest flat upon said plane, and whereby the maximum stability of said end support is afforded.

CHARLES B. ULRICH. 

